Red, White and Blue Brexit bad for Northern Ireland

Here in the land that is base for HBO's Game of Thrones the talk of a Red, White and Blue Brexit as first described by Theresa May and increasingly mentioned by others since is not universally going down well. Let me explain why (in the language that GoT fans will find familiar).

Queen Arlene, First of Her Name surveys her Kingdom of the North from her White Keep (Parliament Buildings, Stormont). She was very much in favour of Brexit and her sigil is St. Edward's Crown on a background of Red, White and Blue. However, outside the gates of the keep the people however are not as much in agreement of Brexit as Arlene and her small (well not so small) council.

Prince Martin is meant to be a co-regent with Queen Arlene. His house's ancient sigil was an armalite and a ballot box on a background of Green, White and Gold, but now it is just the ballot box though some banners still show a shadowy figure of the armalite. He is opposed to Brexit and the mention of it as being Red, White and Blue is not going down well with his bannermen who largely were also opposed to Brexit.

Meanwhile in Kings Landing, Queen Theresa, First of Her Name, Queen of the Four Kingdoms and her small council have largely ignored that the Kingdom of the North has a large border with Europeros with which her four Kingdoms are looking to depart. There are many workers from the southern part of the island that the Kingdom of the North shares with Europeros. There leader King Michael, First of his name, also known by some as the Imp, or Leprechaun because of his diminutive stature and his hand Enda are very much in favour of Europeros are a little offended that Queen Theresa is asking them to control movement of Europeros citizens entering their territory as they have not signed up for Brexit but have signed up for the freedom of movement of Europeros citizens both into and out of their nation.

There has been a peace in the Kingdom of the North for only 3 decades and even then at times it has been tense. Talking up Brexit as being an issue that is Red, White and Blue may stir up some of the sleeping armies of the old days. Continuing to wrap this argument is patriotism based on symbols which still cause dispute in the Kingdom of the North contravenes the treaty that the Kingdom of the North was allowed a degree of autonomy over its own affairs. It is a part of the Four Kingdoms that allows civilians to follow in the Red, White and Blue sigil, or the Green, White and Gold one, or both if they chose too. Fealty is not a black and white matter, nor should it be hyped up in full colour.

Be warned those in Kingslanding (Westminster in this tale) not all the people of the Four Kingdom (United Kingdom) want to hear talk of Red, White and Blue Brexit. Here in the Kingdom of the North (Northern Ireland) some of us have been campaigned for safe and open spaces where everyone can gather. Your painting of Brexit as being a matter of Red, White and Blue while talking to little Englanders, is not so great to the fringes Northern Ireland and indeed Scotland.

Is homophobia Northern Ireland's new sectarianism?

Canon Charles Kenny

Canon Charles Kenny is quoted in today's Belfast Telegraph as saying homophobia is the new sectarianism in Northern Ireland. But is this really the case?

We do have UUP leader Mike Nesbitt telling party members over the weekend urging them not to dance to the republican tune over the issue of marriage equality. A DUP health minister seemingly incapable of looking purely at the same science as the rest of UK when it comes to MSM* (men who have had sex with men) even if over 12 months ago giving blood.

The politicisation of the LGBT agenda by Nesbitt at the weekend is a sad movement towards a new sectarianism. As I pointed out on Saturday the campaign for equal marriage in Northern Ireland is not solely on one side of the old Catholic/Protestant divide, nor is it split between LGBT and heterosexual communities there are many straight people in loving relationships or singlehood who also support the right of same-sex couples to marry not merely be civil partners.

Looking at the way questions are put in Stormont on LGBT issues there is divide in how they are put. From the nationalists, Alliance or Greens they are looking at ways to extend equality for the sector, while the Unionist side (admittedly largely Jim McAllister) seem largely negative in nature. So there is a difference in the way the two sides (as defined by the Belfast Agreement) in Stormont do seem to be approaching LGBT issues.

It is a sad state of affairs that a community that is neither nationalist nor unionist, protestant nor catholic should largely find advocates on the nationalist side of the chamber or through those that identify as other. There are few in the UUP, such as Basil McCrea and John McCallister, who have openly engaged with the LGBT sector for many years. However, the UUP are a party that all too often shows that a number of their members are not prepared to stand up for equality when it is an equality issue based on factors that should not be an influence on a representative for all.

What I find most bizarre on a number of LGBT issues is the fact that unionists look at what the rest of the island of Ireland is doing while the nationalists are arguing for Northern Ireland to follow the lead of the rest of the UK. If anything the LGBT issue has resulted in reverse sectarianism leading to those of us who are not republican or nationalist working closely with those from parties that are to seek to become equal with our LGBT family in England, Scotland and Wales.

The LGBT community in Northern Ireland is not being offered the same rights as the LGBT community in England, Scotland and Wales. Our pride marches may as well be put on a par with the civil rights marches in the 60s when Catholics in Northern Ireland were protesting that they were not on a par with Catholics elsewhere in the UK. In that sense it may well be that the denial of LGBT equality with the rest of the UK is some sort of new sectarianism.

In the fourteen years since the devolution of power to the three Celtic nations of the UK there has been a movement of greater LGBT legislation, the only part of this to have come into force in Northern Ireland was Civil Partnerships and that only while the Assembly was in suspension and Northern Ireland was returned to direct rule. In a sense the LGBT community of Northern Ireland may have been adversely affected by devolution coming when it did. Although even under Westminster we lagged 14 years behind on decriminalisation of homosexual acts (although the 1968 Act was during the time of the last Northern Ireland Parliament which ended in 1972).

Canon Kenny may have a point that the LGBT community may be becoming the new target either directly or indirectly as the new them and us situation from the Unionist politicians, although many of the LGBT community would self identify as unionist in outlook. Does this account for homophobia as being the new sectarianism?

Sadly there appears to be less ability in Northern Ireland to take action against hate speech against the LGBT community. The Iris Robinson case being a prime example where after 12 months the PSNI considered she had no case to answer. The reason being that all too often such language is lifted straight from the bible even if in 400 year old language, which appears to be reason enough to avoid being called hate speech even when it is used in a provocative way. Yet any attempt to reply by even one individual to a group waving such placards is often blasted by our elected representatives or seen as a way to try and shut us up altogether.

Maybe there is more to Canon Kenny's statement, after all he isn't the first to point to institutionalised homophobia here in Northern Ireland. If we are facing a fight against a new sectarianism we are going to have to show that we are right there in the midst of those who consider us repugnant, perverse, an abomination or whatever term they want to attach to us.

* The distinction is important as actively gay men are still banned for live from giving blood, even if they only are in a life long monogamous relationship and/or only practice safer sex.

Backward Orange

When does a political attending the funeral of a murdered police officer become a disciplinary matter? Well only if the location in Northern Ireland, the police officer Catholic and the Politicians members of the Loyal Orders.

LOL 821 St Simon's Church Total Abstinence from the Sandy Row may complain against Ulster Unionist leader Tom Elliot and minister for Regional Development for attending Constable Ronan Kerr's Requiem Mass in April. However, the majority of people in Northern Ireland were pleased to see representatives of all our parties attending such a funeral that led to a public outpouring of grief and outrage. As you can see from the picture below there was cross party support, with Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle on the left, thier MP Naomi Long just behind me and the SDLP's Conall McDevitt and DUP's Jim Wells side by side on the right.

Copyright © Kevin Cooper Photoline

The UUP leadership rather than showing political expediency as stated by the Sandy Row Lodge were actually reflecting the public mood, something that maybe the Orange Order would do well to reflect on. A funeral for someone who was serving the whole community and was murdered in cold blood should be attended by all our political leaders.

The Catholic Church lifted their restrictions on members attending other churches in the 60s to enable this to happen. I've even been to an Ordination of a new minister in Donegal at which the local catholic priest not only attended but took part. Yet the Orange Order still on paper ban their members from attending a service in a Catholic Church, even if it is a funeral. So work colleagues, friends or in this case brave police officers cannot be given the respect they deserve as human beings by Orange Order members giving their respects. They do not have to take part in the service or partake in the Mass, but merely have to sit there and they are seen as traitors.

It is time for the Orange Order to catch up with the rest of us in Northern Ireland and realise that attending a funeral isn't going to change someones political stance, but is merely how we pay respects to those who have lost their lives, their family and friends.

The Padre, the Pastor, the Political quagmire

This weekend, apart from the wedding, one thing has been burning on my blogging sensitivities that I have to blog. It is my thoughts on the former army chaplin, now minister in my late father's home congregation and his decision to attend the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis on Friday. Everywhere I ahve turned over hte last week  there has been mention of him, in the newspapers, on the television, on radio on Sunday Sequence and then on Monday on The Nolan Show guest hosted by Sunday Sequences William Crawley.

First Derry Presbyterian Church

On Friday the Rev Dr David Latimer TD, BSc (Econ), DipTh, MA, minister of First Derry Presbyterian (pictured) appeared before Sinn Féin delegates at their Ard Fheis in the Waterfront Hall. As the minister for a markedly divided city this was a very symbolic gesture. For those of you who don't know the geography of the Walled City just across the road in front of the church are the city walls. From a postion there you look straight down over the Bogside, the scenes of Bloody Sunday and Free Derry Corner. As a church goes First Derry, and St Augustine's just up the road, know the history of Northern Ireland's divisions as well as any.

However, the recent re-opening and redidication of First Derry a process in which the Deputy First Minister played an important role means that they also know the progress that has been being made, especially cross community.

It was the weekend of the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and on Sunday morning back in his day job Dr. Latimer was hosting the RAF Association Londonderry Branch thanksgiving service to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Britain. In his sermon that day he touched upon the juxtoposition that the commemoration of that event opened up old wounds just as his attending the Ard Fheis would do as well. But he said that the only people who could know if there was true repentance was between man and God, whether than man was Martin McGuinness or David Latimer because we all have a past. All he could go on was the outward outworkings of what was happening. It was something he re-emphasised at the end of his Nolan Show spot.

Dr Latimer addressing the Ard Fheis

The bitterness from some of the callers was still there on Monday morning. In one case a Presbyterian Minister from the Shankhill and a Sinn Féin delegate who was in the Waterfornt Hall had a debate heated discussion on Monday's Nolan Show. Although all the heat seemed to come from Dr Latimer's clerical colleague, the Sinn Féin representative quite rightly pointed out to him that the escalation of some of the language he was using would keep us rooted forever in the past. It was only by moving on and extending the hand of friendship as Christ would have done that we can create a peace.

There is still a lot of rancour across the communities here in Northern Ireland. There are still probably many people who would not walk down the hill from First Derry Church and through Butcher Gate and down the hill to Free Derry Corner. Just as there are people in Belfast who may not walk on the 'wrong side' of a peace line. But until more of us do, until we embrace all of us in our Britishness, Irishness, Ulsterness, Northern Irishness or whatever we wish to respresent ourselves and others as, we can only stallingly move on. What David Latimer did on Friday was merely a public act which many people in Northern Ireland, the North or whatever have been doing privately for some time.

Dr Latimer, as he admits himself, is not a politician but they have acted especially Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley when they agreed to work together in the best interests of all (though sometimes others need to remember that first step). Many people are crossing those divides forging new friendships, especially in the younger generations. Sometimes it is merely those that complain, and complain the loudest that assuage others that their internalised sectarianism is alright and they don't need to step over that threshold.

Is the recent violence the UVF flexing their muscles?

The violence in East Belfast on Monday which led to gunfire has led to some serious questions.

Yesterday in the Northern Ireland Assembly Alex Maskey (Sinn Féin) opened the Matter of the Day debate stating that this was a UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) attack on the nationalist Short Strand. This was not disputed by either of the Unionist speakers who spoke after him. There was universal condemnation of the violence and support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) as they had to deal with the aftermath: last night there was tension in the area once more.

If it was the UVF what were they trying to do? Mark Devenport uses the term flexing their muscles, but to what end? Surely this attempt to show a flexing of muscles is not what the people on the lower Newtownards Road want? Many of them are happy with the peaceful way people can go about it that part of Belfast with out fear, intimidation and a heavily armed policing presence.

When you look at how the assaults by dissident republican groups are universally condemned by leaders and the people the flexing of such muscles will only have a negative effect.

Another question is where did the guns come from? It is alleged that shots were fired from both sides, yet both the IRA and UVF are supposed to have completely decommissioned their weapons as part of the Belfast Agreement, so where have guns come from to get used in this way on Monday? Were they pre-existent guns that had somehow slipped by the decommissioning observers, or are they freshly acquired? If the former that is a disgrace and we need to know why some were being held back and not declared. If the latter we have a serious issue.

If paramilitaries on both sides are using the peace to stockpile weapons once more they are really out of step with a shared future that Northern Ireland is craving. As witnessed on Monday morning when celebrating a mutual success (with only minor arguments over the flag that Rory used to celebrate his victory). No doubt a forensics and ballistics teams are doing test on the bullets that were fired to find out just what weapons were used and to try and ascertain if they had been used before.

However, witnessing the Twittersphere yesterday people don't want the escalation that was witnessed. They don't want another summer of riot and counter riot. They want to get on with living side by side in peace and harmony.

Kids with sticks running around on the Shankill

There were kids from loyalist and nationalist traditions running around with sticks on the Shankill Road yesterday.

No this isn't THAT STORY!

Picture by Brian Little in the Belfast Telegraph

What it is though is kids from fours schools St. Paul's and St. Kevin's on the Falls coming to the Norman Whiteside playing fields on the loyalist Shankill Road and playing hurling with kids from Edenbrook and Glenwood Primary Schools, in front of the head of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association).

It is believed to the first time that the GAA President has visited a game on the Shankill, indeed it is probably the first time a game under any GAA code has been played on the Shankill. But hte kids from the four schools have been training together for a year and formed a club called Lamh Dhearg or Red Hand.

The name come from the mural on the Shankill (which is Gaelic for "Old Church") which says Lamh Dhearg Abu, "Victory to the Red Hand". It does show up the strange juxtaposition that often occurs between Unionist and Irish cultures in this strange land of ours. The hurling team is an example of how the two perceived "cultures" aren't really all that different after all. These are just boys having fun with sport.

As the head of Edenbrooke Primary, Jonathan Manning says:

"It’s been very positive and the children have enjoyed learning a new sport, new skills and the physical attributes. On this occasion sport has been a vehicle to break down barriers."

and his opposite number at St. Kevin's Primary, Angela McLaughlin added:

"The children have been meeting for a while to practice their skills. Last year they travelled to Croke Park to play against a Dublin team. It’s amazing to think children from the Shankill played hurling in Croke Park and children from the Falls Road have been on the Shankill playing hurling."

When I was the age of the players and indeed to recent years these four schools would have been either side of the peace wall in West Belfast. If a sport that was once seen as a divisive symbol and used for political ends can now be used to unite, there certainly is hope for our future here in Northern Ireland. This is the sort of brandishing sticks in public that we should be encouraging while condemning the other sort, plus guns being fired that occurred in the Short Strand are last night.

Fisking Some of the TUV CSI Responses

The Tradition Unionist Vote has published its response to the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister's (OFMDFM) draft Cohesion, Sharing and Integration Programme.

Here are some telling phrases with my response:

"We strongly believe that respect for the Unionist/Protestant marching tradition is a key indicator of whether or not this country is genuinely moving forward."

I'm sorry to be truly moving on this should not be the be all and end all. We have people from different countries now living in Northern Ireland. We have people of multiple-identities and indeed family that cross over previous diversities in our society. The sooner our society here in Northern Ireland reflects this the better.

"TUV objects strongly to the commitment within the CSI Programme to publish a sexual orientation strategy (1.9).

"TUV is astonished that there is not one word of recognition of the contribution which nurturing the traditional family unit can make to a cohesive society within the CSI Programme while at the same time there is a commitment to publish a sexual orientation strategy.

"It is patently obvious that there is already a more than enough legislation to protect and promote this interest group. There is no statutory justification or requirement for the proposed strategy. It is an obvious sop to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lobby demanded by Sinn Féin/IRA and meekly accepted by the DUP."

To call for recognition of a minority grouping, which happens to cross sectarian, racial, ability, with/without dependents lines is probably a true reflection from both the unionist and nationalist voices. To dismiss it as a 'sop' instead of seeing it as standing up even for Traditional Unionist people who are LGB or T (yes there are some in the LGBT community here) is a failure to speak out and use that voice.

As for the commitment, which the OFMDFM has said will not happen before 2012. The same department commissioned a harrowing investigation into homophobic harassment and violence in 2003 which has yet to be acted upon throughout the executive. This is a dragging of the heels that has gone on long enough. The 'commitment' is just another 'commitment to procrastinate'.

Wearing Purple Today - A Call to End Commitment to Procrastinate

Today is a day that I'm wearing purple* it is a colour that may be being seen around the world on a lot of people. The reason being that today has been set aside as a day to highlight gay bullying and the recent spate of teen suicides that have been directly related to it.

Many of you have said through various means how much my personal experience posted at start of the month moved you. If you haven't already take a look but be warned tissues are a pre-requisite for clicking that link (as indeed they are for me to read the comments).

Last night I attended a consultation for the LGBT sector in Northern Ireland into the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister's (OFMDFM's) Programme for Cohesion, Sharing and Integration (CSI). The major problem of the document is that it focuses merely on racism and sectarianism whilst ignoring other diversities and minority groups as laid out in Northern Irish legislation, (disability, victims of conflict and their families, LGBT and women amongst them).

There is a passing reference that this will set in place a timetable to bring in a sexual orientation strategy. This is a bone of contention within the LGBT community in Northern Ireland. There was already a consultation document for a Sexual Orientation Strategy on LGB (note the lack of T). A question has been asked by Stephen Farry MLA (Alliance) about a firm commitment to a timetable for this.

"Will the junior Minister give a firm commitment of a timetable within which the strategy will be brought to fruition? In doing so, will he bear in mind that a commitment was given to the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister back in 2009 that such a strategy would be brought forward shortly?"

The Junior Minister for the OFMDFM Robin Newton in response said:

"a realistic assessment of the time needed to give due consideration to the issues raised and to complete consultation indicates that the timescale for publication would be no earlier than 2012."

Not before 2012! It is getting somewhat outrageous the timescale that his particular consultation is taking. The omission then from naming homophobic or transphobic hate crimes by name but is a ghostly and other types gloss over is galling in the draft CSI programme. In what turned out to be almost the last word last night I said:

"While the ministers of OFMDFM are telling us not before 2012. This is not a commitment to do anything, merely a commitment to procrastinate."

• 98% of LGBT young people suffered homophobic bullying at school.
• 30% of this school bullying was by adults
• 66% have contemplated suicide

These figures are startling and in a programme that says it will help young people at risk is ignoring some very much as risk young people by it omission and failure to look at a holistic sense of society and cohesion. It is written with the history of Northern Ireland controlling it and not looking to the present and vitally the future where there are multiple idenities rather than where you really feel you should be on a Sunday morning.


* Not this time to Take Back Parliament which also uses the colour.

Anti-Sports Personality Thierry Henry and more on Anti-Sectarianism

Tomorrow is the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, I'll be writing up my views on who I think deserves it most later. However, what I did see in the Grauniad today was an anti-sports personality of the year poll.

In reverse order the result was

Andre Agassi 1.7% for fessing up to using recreational drugs and admitting to hating tennis

Martin Johnson 2.2% for failing to admit England play dull rugby (as an Irishman I say keep it up, we'll take another Grand Slam or at least an English scalp)

Tiger Woods 2.3% for well those 'transgressions' which are tarnishing his image.

Sulaiman Al-Fahim 2.8% whose financial boasting was on a greater scale than Livingston's own Massone during his short ownership of Portsmouth FC.

Mike Ashley 7.2% for his disastrous running of Newcastle resulting in their relegation from the Premiership which even Alan 'God' Shearer couldn't divert in the last 8 games of last season.

Emmanuel Adebayor 7.7% for his incendiary goal celebration at Manchester City in front of his former clubs fans.

Dean Richards 9.7% for his part in Harlequins Rugby bloodgate scandal, and it wasn't to try and get in on the Twilight trend.

Flavio Briatore 12.3% for that race-fixing incident in Singapore I trust rather than all the leggy models.

Sepp Blater 25.7% for introducing seedings into World Cup play-offs which was deemed to be unfair.

Thierry Henry 28.4% for that handball.

The ultimate winner brings me to an interesting point. Recently Iain Dale posted an image on his blog, which I'm not going to link to, of Thierry Henry with a ball under his arm and an Orange sash over his shoulder.


Now I know that Iain is a football fan. I'm pretty sure he wholeheartedly backs the Show Racism the Red Card initiative to stop racist chants from the stand. I'm sure he is also behind the 2005 FA summit to aim to stamp out homophobic behaviour in football as well. So why then does he believe a sectarian football image is OK to publish on his blog?

Growing up in Northern Ireland, as indeed applies in Scotland the one question that kids ask each other is which team do you support. The answer in most cases can determine your religion pretty easily. My answers of Bangor, Liverpool and Livingston don't give the game away too much. But once the question is answered or not answered depending on who is asking the trouble can start. Supporting the wrong team can lead to bullying, physical violence or worse. It is not based in those areas merely on your support of the team but from that teams identification with one side of the religious divide.

As for the claims that all Northern Irish protestant football fans were glad that Henry's handball put the republic out that is also not true. Judging from my friends' online reaction to the news ALL my Irish friends of all sides, in both parts were up in arms about the blatant cheating that he got away with. Having supported the Irish team in USA '94 in the Irish pub across the road from work I can assure you it is one of those things that would have united all Irish football fans again. Indeed we came very close to getting both teams to South Africa next year which would have been something.

I was call 'sanctimonious so-and-so' in the comments on Iain's blog for raising my concerns about this issue and being bold enough to stand up against it. I'm not going to apologise. It is a real issue of concern.

It really is time to kick out bigotry in football.

Hope Against Hope Against Violence

There are days that no matter which part of the UK you come from you hid your head in shame. For the English there are football and cricketing failures. For the Scots the general, annual malaise in most sports. But for the Northern Irish is usually comes some time in July as regular as clockwork.

Yesterday evening as the news started to break through of the annual trouble surrounding the marching I was wondering how bad can it get. Being somewhat closeted over in Scotland I went to bed hoping against hope once more that full scale civil unrest or war breaks out overnight.

You see in Northern Ireland shots being fired at the police and Molotov cocktails don't just exist in the world of Grand Theft Auto, oh no! They have long been an existence in reality for the youth growing up, even from the time before I could crawl.

On Saturday I blogged about 6 new style beacons that were lit on Sunday evening, beacons that were trying to recognise one part of the culture of the people and while not doing away with it bring it up to date for the modern age, bring it into harmony across the divides. But of course it is not the pyres that are lit at this time of year that are the most contentious issue it is the rights to march and the rights to not have sectarian triumphalism thrust down your throat if you don;t want it.

Of course there are signs of light on the marching issue, earlier in the week the First Minister Peter Robinson met with the residents' group leaders of the Garvaghy Road. Significant steps were made towards that 12 year stand off that often is the high or low light of the marching season. The nationalist residents said that the DUP leader was open minded and understood the residents' concerns.

Sinn Féin were also condemning the violence in the Ardoyne and Rasharkin yesterday, Gerry Kelly MLA saying:

'This evening’s actions expose very clearly the anti-peace process and sectarian agenda which feeds these factions. It has nothing whatever to do with Irish republicanism.'

'They [The Real IRA] chose to try and use the opportunity presented by this parade to further an agenda which has time and again been rejected by the republican community in Ardoyne and everywhere else.'

So looking at who is working together to forge a peace I am glad. The extreme edges of Northern Ireland society appear to be getting smaller. The majority wanting peace is getting bigger. However, that just makes the steps as Gerry said of an 'anti-peace process' all the more magnified as the people of Northern Ireland are striving for a greater normality than at any time in my lifetime.

It's Bonfire Night - A Beacon of New Hope

Before any of my readers panic thinking they have slept Rip van Winkle-like through to the 5th of November I don't mean that bonfire night. It is the eleventh night, one of those traditions of the twelve fortnight in July. Yeah the Northern Irish have a twelve fortnight in a 31 day month and not due to being bad mathematicians.

Every year in the loyalist areas of Northern Ireland piles of burnable material starts to emerge into the open air in late June early July. Often nearby a sofa will also appear so that those that end up 'guarding' and building the wood etc into a stack have somewhere to sit. Sometimes these stacks will tower over the nearby houses. But on occasion they are taken down to form barricades when things get really heated in the marching season. Instead of a guy there is often a Celtic shirt, or Irish tricolour or some other symbol of Catholicism on top of the pile when the touchpaper is lit.

Not all of this burnable material is often environmentally sound as often old tyres and other plastics are found in the stack. The noxious fumes can come from the fire well into the 13th on occasion. The fires have long been a symbol of strength by the Loyalist side of the community followed by the noise and colour of the banners at the marches to follow normally the next day, unless the sabbath intervenes. So often seen as a dividing, harmful emblem rather than one of the renewal that Northern Ireland is trying to undergo.

However, this year Belfast City Council, in conjunction with the Conflict Transformation Initiative, are promoting a new friendship beacon initiative. There will be six willow beacons across the city this year, including one encouraging in the Lower Shankhill, after a trail one last year in the troubled Woodvale area. Willow is used as the wood cut from a willow with fully restore itself by the following year making it carbon renewable. The aim is to make it a family and community friendly gathering which is both environmentally and socially responsible. Of course 6 beacons of hope for a new start is just a splash in the ocean, but it is a step in the right direction.

25 Pence: The Cost of Sectarianism

UEFA have fined Ranger's Football Club have been £13,300 for the behaviour of their fans against Villa Real during their Champions League run. This works out to be about 25 pence per fan who attended each match at Ibrox last season.

I hear that UEFA have said it could not tackle sectarianism because it was a particularly Scottish social problem. Well this must be news to the various factions on the Falls and Shankill Roads amongst others in Northern Ireland. Also it must come as shock to Jack McConnell who earlier this week told the Northern Irish Assmembly that sectarianism had no place in a Modern Scotland.

Maybe if we start issuing on the spot fines at 25 pence for sectarian comments that we hear or see getting scrawled in the central belt of Scotland we might overcome it.